Summer Teen Art Project
Summer Teen Art Project (TAP) is MAM’s dynamic arts and leadership program that empowers high school students through collaborative artmaking with professional artists, public art practices, and civic and community engagement.
Launched in 2021 with a focus on public art, Summer TAP has grown each year, transforming the urban landscape with bold, youth-driven artworks that highlight Montana’s natural and cultural history. Each summer, TAP brings together high school students from across the Missoula area to work closely with professional artists, Indigenous leaders, scientists, and museum educators.
This summer, MAM’s Teen Art Project (TAP) brought together high school students from across the Missoula area for a dynamic arts and leadership experience centered on creativity, collaboration, and community connection.
Working alongside Resident Artist Kelly Bouma, with artistic coordination and mentorship from Janaína Vieira-Marques, TAP participants explored the question, “Do you know our neighbors?” Through photography, poetry, sound, and video, teens explored identity, connection, and belonging while learning how art can create meaningful connections across a community.
Throughout the program, students worked collaboratively to develop a community-based storytelling project that amplified their voices and perspectives. They engaged with artists, community members, and one another, building skills in creative problem-solving, critical thinking, communication, and leadership along the way.
Since its launch in 2021, TAP has evolved from a public art-focused program into a broader arts and leadership experience that gives young people opportunities to shape their communities through creative practice. The Summer 2026 program continued that tradition, empowering teens to see themselves not only as artists, but as active contributors to the cultural life of Missoula.
We’re proud of the creativity, curiosity, and care this year’s TAP participants brought to the program—and grateful to everyone who helped make their work possible.
This program is for enrolled high school students.
Applications for Summer TAP 2027 will open in spring 2027.
To be notified when enrollment opens, subscribe to our newsletter.
